Imagining Brazil #a r F*\% seduc*"lh:a;,;,g 3, 6%+3 CTt BY NATASHA PRAVAZ

En utilirant der paroles de chants tytbmis sur h et to reduce its meaning by making reference to a "mulatto d'autre matkrielethn~~aphique,-- - l;zuteure dtecte h prisence woman." du muhtre et de propos racistes dans h construction du Using a series of samba lyrics as my ethnographic nationalirme brizilien et discute sur l'hidente ambivalence material, 1 will address the figuration of the mulata as the dans le discours ethnique local entre le dksir et la rejection embodiment of sensuality in the Brazilian imaginary; envers ce personnage. explore the use of racialized tropes and the figure of the mulata in the constitution of Brazilian discourses of A polysemic category, muhta in the Brazilian context national identity; and briefly discuss the conspicuous can refer to "a woman of mixed racial descent," but it ambivalence between desire and abjection toward the also connotes voluptuosity, sensuality, and ability for mulata in local discourses of race. dancing the samba. In its restricted sense, however, it The Eurocentric myth of Brazilian national identity as names an occupation. That is, only women who engage the product of "miscegenation" is well known.2 Its main in dancing the samba in a commodified spectacle and characteristics have been described by anthropologist receive some form of remuneration for it can be called Roberto DaMatta as "the fable of the three races." Accord- mulatas. Under this specific signification,- the concept of ing to DaMatta, "blacks," "whites," and "natives" are seen the mulata can be contrasted to that of thepmista, a solo in Brazil as the basic entities of a racial triangle, contrib- dancer in the Carnival parades who performs, not for uting equally to the process of nation formation. In this money, but out of love for samba and for her Samba unwittingly racist tale, which has acquired the status of a School of choice. However, regardless of the subtleties of dominant ideology, Brazilian history and its social iden- this and other distinctions, mulata and passista are per- tity are understood in naturalized terms, that is, "social haps merely privileged signifiers in a larger paradigmatic knowledge is reduced to something natural such as 'races,' chain associating- multiple cultural terms such as cabrocha, 'miscegenation' and biologically given attributes ofwhich morena, criouh, brasileira, nega, pretinha, baiana, to name the 'races' would be carriers" (Da Matta 60).Although just a few. These multiple signifiers denoting "black DaMatta's treatment of racial categories as "natural" vis- woman" in Brazil may be seen as lexicological h-vis "socially constructed" history is problematic, what crystallisations of what has been described by Marvin makes his analysis relevant for our purposes is the insight Harris as a fluid "system of racial classification." ' In that this fable, as DaMatta puts it, Brazil, "race talk" has a dermal character, where slight gradations in skin colour are con- enables the common man, the wise and the ideologue structed as distinctions begging to conceive ofa highly hierarchical society as a totality The mu/ata is specific denomination. Depend- integrated by bonds formed through sex gnd comple- portrayed ing on the context of utterance, mentary "racial" attributes; finally, it is this fable most of the above mentioned which allows for the conception of our society as as a woman racialized and gendered terms something singular-a specificity which is given to a lwavs readv to carry with them acertain fetishistic us by the harmonious encounter of the three races. J~ - ~J deploy her tricks quality. In Brazil, the mulata is (70) commonly portrayed as a woman of sorcery, always ready to deploy-. her tricks In other words, "racial mixing" is regarded both as the embodying of sorcery and bewitching, ern- means par excellence through which Brazilian identity is forged and as a process of mediation between the three and bodying sensuality, voluptuosity, and dexteritv in dancine" the angles of the "racial triangle," through the creation of samba. She has become a figure of interstitial types (Da Matta 82). dexteritvJ in - dancing desire in the Brazilian imaginary. The mulata comes into the picture as one of these It is due to this semantic prolif- mediating figures. In Brazilian culture, she represents the the samba. eration that I have decided to use concrete and symbolic synthesis of sexual intercourse the Brazilian lexicon, rather than between a white master and his black female slave. The

48 CANADIAN WOMAN STUDIESILES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME violence inherent in this form of rape is erased from the imaginary, for this intercourse is usually portrayed as a romantic encounter in which the woman becomes the seductress of a hopeless gentleman. While embodying all the idealized characteristics of the erotic "Other,"' the mulata can at the same time be seen by the desiring white male as the perfect fusion of "self' and "Other." Not only is she a "whitened version" of the black slave, but her very body testifies to that which Brazilians have come to praise and glorify as the essence of their self-identity: "Mixture." The trope of mixture does not stop at the level of biology, however. At the level of popular culture in particular, we find that certain cultural expressions thought ofas "mixed or hybrid (see Vianna and Chasteen) also achieve the symbolic status of national icons. It is here that samba reveals itselfas central to the constitution ofboth Brazilian national identity and mulatai images, through its lyrics and dance. Samba is a musical and dance form which is said to have originated in the early twentieth century in downtown . African-Brazilians from Rio and Bahia4 developed this particular music out of ~reviousrhythms such as lundu and maxixe. The term samba, for example, comes from the Angolan (Kimbundu) semba, meaning navel. In lundu performances, participants would stand in a semi-circle, and dancers would invite others into the centre by burnping them-navel to navel. As with samba, this dance was characterized by pronounced, grinding movements of the hips and by the thundering sound of percussion instruments (see Appleby; Lopes etal.).One of the most important sites of samba production was the house of Aunt Ciata, a Bahian matriarch who held Candomble sessions ofworship to African-Brazilian dei- ties. After these sessions, expatriate Bahians, samba com- posers, and middle-class bohemians would gather and engage in music-making for hours on end. In the 1930s and with the help of oficial policies "Fabiana, queen of percussionists of Mangueira Samba School," 1998. developed under Vargas's- office, samba underwent a Photo: Natasha Pravaz process ofnationalization. The populist and authoritarian regime had to establish a certain relationship with an Carnival Ball. As well, during Vargas's New State of 1937 emerging urban popular culture, and exclusionary prac- the composition of received important incentives tices were not the best political option. Rio de Janeiro was in the form of public policy. In particular, Vargas was the national capital, and its carnivalesque associations interested in lyrics that would talk about progress- - and such as ranch05 and Samba Schools were to receive finan- work discipline, although as we will see, he was not very cial support from the government. In 1932, for example, successful in reinforcing this policy (see Vianna; Rivera). the most important Opera Hall in town held its first With the help of the radio and record companies, samba

VOLUME 20, NUMBER 1 49 0,restless mulata Who passes by with charm With her antics Playing innocent Taking my sleep away

0,restless mulata Oh, mulata if I could, And if my money could afford it, I would doubtlessly give you This earth, this sky, this sea, And she pretends she doesn't know That her eyes cast a spell,

0,restless mulata Oh, my God, how good it would be "Passistas, vocalist, flag-bearer, and main male dancer of Grande Rio Samba If slavery returned, School at a TV Studio," 1998. Photo: Natasha Pravaz I would buy this mulata And take her to my hut would eventually become Brazil's trademark, represent- And later the pretoria

ing- the nation at home and abroad. Would solve the problem "Restless Mulata," one of the most famous sambas of 0,restless muIata the 1930s, was created by Ataulfo Alves, an African- Brazilian and son of a musician of Zona da Mata, Rio de "Restless Mulata, who passes by with charm1 With her Janeiro, who began composing at the age ofeight respond- antics1 Playing innocent1 Taking my sleep away," begins ing to the improvisations of his father. This song will be the song. Right at the onset the image of the sensual body the first of five lyrics I will attempt to analyze here. of the mulata passing by disturbs the peace of mind of the man who dreams of giving her land, sea and sky. Project- Mulata Assanhada ing onto her his own desire, the narrator accuses her of - Ataulfo Alves (1930s) feigning naivett, pretending she doesn't know that "her eyes cast a spell." The violence against the enslaved black

0,mulata assanhada woman is romanticized as she is given- the agency-. of a Que passa corn graqa seductress sourcerer. At the same time that her agency is Fazendo pirraga thus conceded, however, it is immediately denied in the Fingindo inocente next turn of phrase. Through its particular enunciative Tirando o sossego da gente modality, the mulatto's text mimics thewhite master, who literally could, in times of slavery, "buy this mulata and 0,mulata assanhada take her to his hut." The implication here is that the Ai, mulata se eu pudesse, mulata can be desired as long as she remains the E se o meu dinheiro desse, unthreatening "object of domination," an inert posses- Eu te dava sem pensar, sion among others. In this way, access to the benefits offull Esta terra, este ctu, este mar participation in social life is denied to her, and claims to E ela finge que n5o sabe, a legitimate union cannot be laid. Que tem feitigo no olhar The proposition also unmasks the tension lurking be- hind the apparently seamless masculinist lust. The author 0,mulata assanhada not only desires the woman, he desires to ocuppy the Ai, meu Deus, que bom seria subject position of the plantation master, in all its unre- Se voltasse a escravidCo strained power. The objectifying desire for the proverbial Eu comprava esta mulata mulata is therefore one of the ways in which men of all E levava pro meu barraco colours celebrate, at the symbolic level, a patriarchal E depois a pretoria alliance that intensifies the divide between blacks and c que resolvia a quest50 mulatos, African-Brazilian men and African-Brazilian 0,mulata assanhada women, and between black, mulatto, and white women, reproducing patterns of existing social relations and rep- Restless Muiata resentations. -Ataulfo Alves (1930s) The next two lyrics I will be looking at were written by

50 CANADIAN WOMAN STUDIESILES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME famous composer Ary Barroso. In the 1930s, samba was already the most cherished musical form amongst the lower classes, particularly during Carnival. White middle-class musicians with a sensibility for popular forms of cultural expression acquired an interest in participating at the social gatherings of African- Brazilian musicians taking place in the bars of Rio, and incorporated into their repertoire this new rhythm. Amongst them was Barroso, the son of an attorney from Minas Geraisstate, who moved to Rio at the age ofseventeen. His songs "Pure Luxury" and "Brown Woman with Golden Mouth" both speak to the overt fascination and sufferingthe mulata exerts over a helpless man who can't resist being seduced by her tricks and sensual ways.

Morena Boca de Ouro "Passistas from Mangueira Samba School performing the samba for locals -Ary Barroso (1 930s) and tourists alike. " 1998. Photo: Natasha Pravaz

Morena boca de ouro que me faz sofrer 0 teu jeitinho 6 que me mata My heart is a tambourine Roda morena vai n5o vai Swinging to the beat of the enchanting samba Ginga morena cai n%ocai Samba that moves us Samba morena e me desacata Samba that makes fun of us Love is such a different kind of samba Morena C uma brasa viva pronta pra queimar Queimando a gente sem clemencia Brown woman dances in the yard Roda morena vai nao vai Proudly stepping on my heart Ginga morena cai n50 cai Brown woman, take pity on yet another sufferer Samba morena corn malemolCncia Who got burnt in the hot coal of your love

Meu coraqzo 6 urn pandeiro "Brown woman with golden mouth, you make me Gingando ao compass0 de urn samba feiticeiro suffer. Your ways kill me. Go round, brown, go, don't go. Samba que mexe com a gente Swing- brown, fall, don't fall. Dance the samba, brown, Samba que zomba da gente and scorn me." Brown, or morena, in this context is 0 amor 6 um samba t%odiferente synonymous with "mixed-race." Although in its literal definition morena means both "tannedwoman" and "bru- Morena samba no terreiro nette," Brazilians in general and samba composers in Pisando vaidosa cestrosa meu coraq5o particular tend to use it as a racial term denoting mulata Morena tern pena de mais um sofredor or black woman. The colour of a woman's skin can thus Que se queimou na brasa viva do teu amor become a vocative, that is, a noun used in addressing a person. This particular form ofhailing produces a racialized Brown Woman with Golden Mouth subject-position which is qualified by other elements such -Ary Barroso (1 930s) as enchantment and coquetry. As with our former exam- ple, the morenit appears in Barroso's song as the inescap- Brown woman with golden mouth, you make me suffer able seductress, scourning the man who "got burnt in the Your ways kill me hot coal ofher love." It is interesting- to note however, that Go round, brown woman, go, don't go the form in which her seduction takes place most force- Swing, brown woman, fall, don't fall fully here, is through samba. Dance the samba, brown woman, and scorn me The morena >abilityto "dance," "go round," and "swing" "to the beat of the enchanting samba," places her allure in Brown woman, is a hot coal ready to burn a very particular social space, that of African-Brazilian Burning us with no compassion popular culture. The lyrics ofthis song celebrate not only Go round, brown woman, go, don't go the morena but samba itself, a cultural form which has Swing, brown woman, fall, don't fall been reconceptualized as an expression of Brazil's soul. By Dance the samba, brown woman, and scorn me dancing the samba in a way no one else can, the morena

VOLUME 20, NUMBER 2 51 becomes the perfect embodiment of "African-Brazilian mulata j body, the beating ofher heart, is associated in the culture." In doing so, she is also transformed into a song with the "essence" of Brazilian-ness, and the way in priviledged symbol of Brazilian-ness, not only for being which that "essence" is expressed is through music and mestifa, but most importantly now for exhuding samba, dance, most specifically, through samba. Desiring the the "new cultural expression" of the nation. In this way, mukzta, therefore, should not beseen as merely a masculinist morena and samba become synonymous, or at least and racist practice of objectifying and consuming metonymically linked signifiers of national identity. "Otherness." It is a practice situated within the ambiva-

This notion is best expressed in Ary Barroso's samba lent and complex. .process of Brazilian identity formation. "Pure Luxury," also first recorded in the 1930s. This process makes use, in particular, ofAfrican-Brazilian forms of cultural expression, and of African-Brazilian l? Luxo S6 bodies, celebrating and "transforming ethnic symbols -Ary Barroso, Luiz Peixoto (1930s) into national ones" (see Fry). In this way, concrete racial and social relations articulated within Brazilian society Olha, esta mulata quando danp t luxo s6' can be, if not erased, at least misrecognized and devoid of Quando todo o seu corpo se embalanqa 6 lux0 s6 all contradiction. Tem um n5o sei quC que faz a confus%o The fourth song we will be looking at, "She Says She 0 que ela n5o tern, meu Deus, i compaix5o Has," is more explicit in the celebration of samba as nationalism. Recorded by in the early Olha esta mulata quando danga C luxo s6 1940s, the song talks about a woman who has "brown Quando todo o seu corpo se embalanqa e lux0 s6 skin, a feverish body, and inside the chest, love of Brazil." Porim seu corag5o quando palpita e se agita Mais ligeiro nunca vi compass0 t50 brasileiro Ela Diz Que Tern -Carmen Miranda Eta samba cai pra li, cai pra ci, cai pra li, cai pra ci (Paiva & Cruz, October 13, 1941) Eta samba cai pra li, cai pra ci, cai pra li, cai pra ci Ela diz que tem, diz que tem, diz que tem Mexe com as cadeiras mulata, e o requebrado me diz que tem, diz que tem, diz que tem, diz que rem maltrata Tem cheiro de mato, tem gosto de coco Tem samba na veia, tem balangandii Pure Luxury -Ary Barroso, Luiz Peixoto (1930s) Ela diz que tem, diz que tem, diz que tem Diz que tem, diz que tem, diz que tem, diz que tem See, when this mulara dances, it's pure luxury Tem a pele morena, e o corpo febril When all her body bounces, it's pure luxury E dentro do peito o amor do Brasil She has something that creates the confusion What she doesn't have, my God, is compassion Cantei em S50 Paulo, cantei no Pari Tomei chimarr50, e comi vatapi See, when this mulata dances, it's pure luxury Eu sou brasileira, meu corpo revela When all her body bounces, it's pure luxury Que a minha bandeira e verde i amarela However, when her heart beats and gets agitated So swift, I've never seen such a Brazilian rhythm Eu dig0 que tenho, eu tenho muamba E tenho no corpo o cheiro de samba It's samba, falls there, falls here, falls there, falls here Eu quero para mim o moreno fagueiro It's samba, falls there, falls here, falls there, falls here Que seja do samba e born brasileiro

Bounce the hips, rnulata, and your swing abuses me She Says She Has -Carmen Miranda The second stanza reads: "See, when this mulatadancesl (Paiva & Cruz, October 13, 1941) it's pure luxury./ When all her body bounces1 it's pure luxury./ However, when her heart beats and gets agitated1 She says that she has, she has, she has, she has, she has, So swift1 I've never seen such a Brazilian rhythm." In one she has, she has and the same turn of phrase, "Brazilian rhythm" is iden- Has the smell of forest, taste of coconut tified with both "the rhythm ofsamba," and "the rhythm Samba in the veins, and balangandas of the rnulatai body." The slippage of meaning produces the effect of dance itself, now here, next there, and you She says that she has, she has, she has, she has, she has, don't know how or where it all started. The core of the she has, she has

CANADIAN WOMAN STUDIESILES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME Has brown skin, and a feverish body why the Carnivalesque march has come to be considered And inside the chest, love of Brazil one of the most important recordings in Brazilian popu- I sang in S50 Paulo, I sang in Pari lar music and one of the most successful Carnival songs I drank chimarrso and ate vatapi of all time. I am Brazilian, my body reveals That my flag is green and yellow 0 Teu Cabelo N5o Nega -Larnartine Babo, JoSo, Raul Valenqa (1 932) I say that I have, I have muamba I have in my body the smell of samba 0 teu cabelo n5o nega, mulata I want for myself the hot brown-skinned guy Porque 6s mulata da cor That belongs to samba and is a good Brazilian Mas como a cor n50 pega, mulata Mulata eu quero o teu amor Again, skin colour is linked to the passionate embodi- Tens um sabor bem do Brasil, ment ofnational identity. "I am Brazilian, my body reveals Tens a alma cor de anil that my flag is green and yellow." But the lyrics go beyond the recognition of samba and mulata-ness as ~riviled~ed Mulata, mulatinha, meu amor tropes of Brazilian-ness. North, South, East, and West Fui nomeado teu tenente interventor come into play, as the woman travels from Sso Paulo to Quem te inventou, meu pancadso, Pari, in Northern Brazil, and drinks chimarrdo or mate, a Teve uma consagraqb kind of hot infusion common in the South. The mulata A lua te invejando fez careta, porque thus "colonizes" the rest ofthe country, "showing-off' her Mulata, tu n%o6s deste planeta samba in the veins and her closeness to nature. The Quando nern bem vieste iterra sensuality ofher being is expressed in her "smell of forest" Portugal declarou guerra and "taste ofcoconut," a kind of animality that still leaves A concorrencia ent5o foi colossal room for the civilized desire for the nation. "I want for Vasco da Gama contra o batalhzo naval myself the hot brown-skinned guy that belongs to samba and is a good Brazilian," she says, introducing the trope of 0 teu cabelo 1150 nega mulata, the woman's desire into the scene. Porque 6s mulata da cor It is possible to see this desire as a mere mirroring of the Mas como a cor n5o pega, mulata masculine gaze. In the first place, the tropes used repro- Mulata eu quero o teu amor duce those describing the mulata: Knowing how to dance the samba, being a good Brazilian and having brown skin. Your Hair Doesn't Deny It As well, her desire possibly expresses a projection of the -Lamartine Babo, Jo50, Raul Valenqa (1932) authors' fantasy, enacting their wish that the mulata would want them as partners. I have no background Your hair doesn't deny it, mulata knowledge about the composers, but present this as an Because you are a mulata of colour open question. Despite this conspicuous mirroring, how- But since colour isn't contagious, mulata ever, we must acknowledge that the introduction of the Mulata, I want your love feminine perspective takes the woman away from the You have a very Brazilian flavour place of "object," and gives room to the possibility of Your soul is the colour of the sky "embracing" the subject-position of mulata as a practice of identification. In this case, the identification is with a Mulata, little mulata, my love celebrated /self-celebrating figure in the Brazilian imagi- I was nominated your inspector lieutenant nation, the perfect embodiment of sensuality, "miscege- To whom invented you, "my congratulations nation," and samba. You are consecrated" Not all samba lyrics present such a straight-forward The jealous moon is pulling a face, because celebratory impulse, however. Lamartine Babo's song Mulata, you are not from this planet "Your Hair Doesn't Deny It" gives us a complicated When you came to earth version of the quintessential mulata. The song was put Portugal declared war into the market in January of 1932 and had such an The competition was colossal overwhelming impact and acceptance that ten years later Vasco da Gama against the naval battalion the LP had to be recorded again due to the wear and tear ofthe matrix copy. Again in 1952, another recording was Your hair doesn't deny it, mulata made, and the song became the "official" Overture of Because you are a mulata of colour Carnivaleque balls. A close look at the syntax and se- But since colour isn't contagious, mulata mantics of the song might give us a clue into the reasons Mulata, I want your love

VOLUME 20, NUMBER 2 "Your hair doesn't deny it, mulatal Because you are a sees it as a consequence of the Brazilian lack of a rigid mulata of colour./ But since colour isn't contagious, descent rule in its racial classification of peoples. "A mulata/Mulata I want your love." Another way of trans- Brazilian child is never automaticalIy identified with the lating the first sentence, "0teu cabelo nao nega, mulata" racial type ofone or both ofhis parents, nor must his racial would be "Your hair betrays. you, . mulata." This statement type be selected from one of only two possibilities. Over makes reference to a frequently misrecognized character- a dozen racial categories may be recognized in conformity istic of Brazilian racial terminologies, that is, mulattoes are with the combinations of hair color, hair texture, eye color not the perfect "mixture" of blacks and whites, one more and skin color which actually occur. These types grade concept among- the inexhaustible proliferation of "medi- into each other like the colors of the spectrum and no one ating" categories. Rather, in terms ofthe cultural effects of category stands significantly isolated from all the rest.. .. a social intercourse and social structure, mulattoes are con- given Brazilian might be called by as many as 13different stituted as blacks. The ways in which this is achieved terms by other members ofhis community" (Harris 57-8). include, among other things, the recognition of certain 'See Ortiz; Mota; Skidmore; DaMatta; and Costa for a phenotypical characterstics such as hair type as markers of critique. race. This is why the song states that she is a "mulata of 3The category of the "Other" is used here to denote those colour," "betrayed" by her hair. subjects who are "marked off," exoticized, eroticized and Since every mulata is by definition, of colour, what pathologized from a western and phallogocentric perspec- this statement really means is that the mulata is "from tive (see Gilman). colour." And here colour stands for race. In everyday 41n the late 1800s many inhabitants from Bahia migrated language people say that someone is "from race," or to Rio de Janeiro as a consequence of the Canudos War,

"from colour," meaning- that they are black. It is this the decline of plantations in Bahia state and the abolition inescapable "blackness" which poses a menace to the of slavery in 1888. They worked at the docks, as street invisible "whiteness" of the composerlsinger. "Black- vendors, and as domestic servants. Bahians brought with ness" becomes identified with a threatening, albeit non- them African-Brazilian percussion jams and dances, and contagious disease. Its non-contagious nature allows for settled in the local favelas. See McGowanan and Pessanha; the unrestrained consumption of the mulata as object of Ben Ratliff; Lopes et al.; Vianna. desire and icon of nationalism, without "staining" the "pure colour" of the colonizing Self. But apparently the References author is not 100 per cent sure that this is the case. He would rather have her blue and get rid of the dilemma. Appleby, David. The MwicofBrazil. Austin: University of The recognition of the mulata's skin colour and race are Texas Press. 1983. thus denied in the following sentence: "your soul is the Chasteen, John Charles. "The Prehistory of Samba: colour of the sky," and her "flavourn becomes therefore Carnival Dancing in Rio de Janeiro, 1840 - 19 17." an acceptable index of Brazilian identity. Journal of Latin American Studies 28 (1 996): 29-47). The contradictions at the heart of these samba lyrics Costa, EmiliaViotti da. The Brazilian Empire: Myths and exemplify. . the main tropes of Brazilian nationalist and Histories. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985.. racist discourses. These discourses deploy notions of"mis- DaMatta, Roberto. Relativizando: Uma Introduq~oa cegenation," "samba," and "seduction" as central ele- Antropologia Social. Petr6polis: Editora Vozes, 1981. ments in the production of a common identity for the Fry, Peter. Para inglh ver. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar Editor, nation, and the mulata becomes one of the priviledged 1982. signifiers in this equation. In this process, women's Gilman, Sander. Dzfience and Patholo~:Stereotypes of subalternity in the social structure is denied, and embody- Sexuality, Race, andMadness. Cornell: Cornell Univer- ing the subject-position of an idealized social type in the sity Press, 1985. fleeting Carnival parades and cabaret shows becomes one Harris, Mapin. Patterns of Race in the Americas. New of the only ways of social recognition for many white, York: Walker, 1964. black and mulatto women in contemporary Brazil. Lopes, Helena; Jose Jorge Siqueira e Maria Beatriz Nascimento. Negro e Cultura no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Natasha Pravaz is a PhD candidate in SocialAnthropology Unibrade, 1987. at York University. Her research explores the constitution of McGowanan, Chris and Ricardo Pessanha. The Brazilian the mulata jgure in Brazil through conversations with Sound. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998. women who perform the samba during Carnival and in Mota, Carlos Guilherme. Ideologia da Cultura Brasileira. cabaret shows. Siio Paulo: Editora Atica, 1977. Ortiz, Renato. Cultura Brasileira e Identiakde National. 'The hegemonic discourse of race in Brazil is deployed S50 Paulo: Editora Brasiliense, 1985. through the trope of "colour," as opposed to racial origin Ratliff, Ben. "Samba Nation." Lingua Franca Book Re- or ethnicity (see DaMatta). Marvin Harris, for example, view, Spring 1999.

54 CANADIAN WOMAN STUDIESILES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME Rivera, Mareia Quintero. "A Cor e o Som da Nag%o:A idkia de mestigagem na critica musical do Caribe About the back cover. .. Hisphnico Insular e do Brasil (1928-1948)." Unpub- lished MA thesis, SZo Paulo University, 1996. The launch of our poster is the culmination of a year-long Skidmore, Thomas. Black into White: Race and National- community-supported campaign to readdress the harm done ity in Brazilian Thought. New York: Oxford University by the Toronto Police Association poster. A concerted effort Press, 1992. was made to involve ~outhin the design and production Vianna, Hermano. 0 Mirte'rjo do Samba. Rio de Janeiro: process of this Poster. The PhotograPher~graphic Zahar Editor, 1985. and models who participated, were all members of the community. These individuals became involved, not for financial reasons, but because they support the poster's public nature and its anti-racist message. They are aware of the urgent need to respond to the Toronto Police Association's About the Guest Editors .. . racist stereotyping of our community. The design of the poster was done on a consensus-basis, involving discussions about the type of message and image Aria zshrecentlycompleted her PhD at the Ontario that the Latin American Coalition Against Racism wanted to at Institute for Studies in Education the convey, Thoseof us, who were involved in the creation of this of in and poster, did so with a strong sense ofpublic responsibility and en's studies in the Education and Cornmu- an awareness that the message being conveyed would reso- nity Development Programme. Her theoretical and nate with the wider community. research interest is in the social, political, and eco- Beyond responding to the Toronto Police Association nomic impact of globalization on women and corn- poster, this is also the starting point of a broader public cam- munities. She is committed to social justice and paign. This campaign intends to question deeply-rooted ecological health. stereotypes that persist about the Latin American peoples- both within and outside our communities. We are not a homo- MaT-Jo Nadeauworks and lives in Toronto. She is genous community. We are very diverse in terms of nation- a graduate student in sociology at York University. ality, race, ethnicity, religion, and social standing. And, although we identify as Latin Americans and speak Spanish Katarzyna~~k~~~ is a doctoral candidate in social- and Portuguese, as well as English, we are also ofaboriginal, ogy at york university. she studies the politics of African, Arabic, Asian, Jewish, and European descent. Our heritage and the narratives of canadian national campaign aims to celebrate this diversity, while emphasizing the need to address and confront racist stereotyping. identity. We are planning to hold educational workshops, particu- larly with youth, who are often the most vulnerable members Renuka Sooknanan has been active in immigrant of our community. Currently, our main goal is to have the women's collectives, most notably the Black Creek Latin American Coalition Against racism poster widely dis- Anti-Drug COalition. She has pmduced and di- tributed. We have set up a website in order to publicize the four for "Jane Finch in campaign on the internet. We want &is posterdisplayed in CKLN 88. was One of the organizers of the Dub people's homes, in schools, universities, community centres, Poetry International as libraries, storefront windows, restaurants, bars, dance clubs Coordinatorofthe*tkinsonCollege(YorkUniver- (where youth frequent), as well as police stations-as a sity) Anti-Racism certificateprogramme. Currently, strong, ~ublicreminder that racism is wrong, that it's a crime she is a doctoral candidate in sociology at York and that it harms, not only the communities being targeted, University. Her research focuses on community but the public at large. building and anti-racism in Canada. Finally, it is our view that Toronto's Latin American community needs to have a stronger voice in local matters of Cyntbia Wrightwas Assistant Professor at the Insti- public concern affecting our well-being: matters such as tute for Women's Studies and Gender Studies at the systemic racism, policingandsocial policy-related issues. We University of Toronto from 1995-2000. She is also want to establish links with other communities, particu- currently =Visiting scholar at the same location and larly communities of colour and Aboriginal communities, a long-time activist. A~~~~ her recent articles is that are also being impacted by racism. The Latin American x~owhereat H~~~:~~~d~~,and the ~~ki~~Coalition Against Racism represents an emerging grassroots ofAnti-Immigrant Discourse in Canada" published voice that will contribute to a process of strengthening the visibility of our communities. in Atlantis (Spring 2000). Her book on Eaton's -Text of the speech given by LACAR member Illiam College Street is forthcoming. Burbano, at apress conference which launched theposter in the subway system at Yonge and Bloor in Toronto.

VOLUME 20, NUMBER 2 55 " " write her book. As Andrews wrote, she was impelled to examine her own life, her own expectations. The result is a fascinating account of events leading up to the trial, the trial itself, and the significant effect of 1 Joudrie's trial on the life of Audrey Andrews. l

l Marian Engel's Notebooks "Ah, mon cahier, ecoute.. ." Christ1 Verduyn, editor Life Writing series Paper $28.95 0-88920-349-0 Cloth $54.95 0-88920-333-4 "This book grants the reader the immense privilege of seeing inside the rag and bone shop of a gifted writer's heart.. . .Verduyn enables us to hear the powerful voice of a woman-a difficult, intelligent, outrageous, thoughtful, compelling woman-determined to live and work as an artist in Canada." -Aritha van Herk

The Life and Letters of Annie Leake Tuttle Working for the Best Marilyn Fardig Whiteley, editor Life Writing series Paper $29.95 .0-88920-330-X Annie Leake Tuttle was born in Nova Scotia in 1839 and died there in 1934. Her search for education and self-support took her to Newfoundland as an educator of teachers and to British Columbia as a matron of a Methodist rescue home for prostitutes. "This bookis as readable as a fictitious novel. It is all the more interesting by virtue of how it brings real lives and real times to life." - Sandra Devlin, Moncton Times b Transcript

Memoirs from Away A New Found Land Girlhood Helen M. Buss/Margaret Clarke Life Writing series .Paper $21.95 0-88920-350-4 "Buss's memoirs of her childhood in Newfoundland is as much an exploration of the process of memoir as it is an unflinching recollection of the past ....The double-voiced narrator-Buss and Margaret Clarke, her pseudonym-everywhere reminds us that memoir is a construction of words as slippery as seaweed.. ..The urgency of this transformation of life into language is the heart and soul of this engaging memoir."

56 CANADIAN WOMAN STUDIESILES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME